Representative Edith Patterson Contact information

Edith Jerry Patterson was born on November 18, 1945, in Doswell, Virginia. She attended John M. Grandy High School in neighboring Ashland. In 1968, she graduated from Virginia Union University with a B.S. degree in Biology and Chemistry. After five years of teaching as a Biology and Physics teacher in Washington, D.C., she moved to Pomfret, Maryland, in 1973.

She furthered her education at Bowie State University, where she earned a M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling, and at George Washington University in 1991, where she earned a Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration. After graduating, she worked as a consultant for various groups, including the Congressional Black Caucus, the United States Department of Education, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

In 1983, Patterson was elected to the Charles County Board of Education, becoming the first African American to serve on the board. In her final year on the board, she served as its chair. Patterson entered into politics in 2000 when she became a member of the Charles County Democratic Central Committee. In 2005, the Charles County Democratic Central Committee appointed Patterson to serve as county commissioner, filling a vacancy after commissioner F. Wayne Cooper moved up to the board president after Murray D. Levy resigned to fill a vacancy in the Maryland House of Delegates left by the resignation of state delegate Van T. Mitchell.

Patterson is a distinguished educator and civic leader currently representing Charles County, District 28, Maryland House of Delegates and serves as the Charles County Delegation Chair. She is the 1st Vice President of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and Education Committee.

She has been a member of the House of Delegates since January 14, 2015. She has served on various committees and held several leadership positions. She is also a member of the Rural Maryland Council, Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland, Task Force to Investigate the Challenges of and Opportunities for Minorities in Business, Task Force to Combat Habitual Student Truancy, Juvenile Services Education Programs Work Group, and Task Force on Reconciliation and Equity, Morgan State University.

Patterson’s contributions to her community and the state of Maryland have been recognized with numerous awards. She continues to serve her constituents with dedication and commitment.